Korean table tennis is heading to South Africa, where the world championships will be held, once again embarking on a journey toward a new history. Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon, who won the first men’s doubles silver medal in the last tournament in 65 years, tried again to reach the top, and Shin Yu-bin, the female star who withdrew due to injury, shook off her regrets and pledged to revive.

The Korea Table Tennis Association announced on the 16th that the Korean national table tennis team departed for Durban, South Africa, where the 2023 World Table Tennis Championship Finals were held the night before. The tournament, which will be held in Africa for the first time in 84 years since the 1939 tournament in Egypt, will be held from the 20th to the 28th.

The table tennis world championships are held in odd-numbered years and individual events in even-numbered years. A total of 12 players (6 males and 6 females) from Korea will compete in all 5 events, including men’s and women’s singles, doubles and mixed doubles, in this individual event.

For men’s doubles, Jang Woo-jin, Lim Jong-hoon, Lee Sang-soo, Cho Dae-seong, and for women’s doubles, Shin Yu-bin, Jeon Ji-hee, Lee Si-on, and Choi Hyo-joo. Lim Jong-hun (11th) and Shin Yu-bin (26th), the top ranked Korean men and women, will participate in all three events, including mixed doubles. Cho Dae-seong and Kim Na-young also go for doubles.

The most anticipated event for medals is men’s doubles. Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon won the silver medal at the 2021 Houston, USA, the previous individual competition. This is the highest achievement achieved in 65 years since the Korean table tennis men’s doubles challenged the world championship.

Lee Sang-soo and Cho Dae-seong are also expected to play an active role. Korean table tennis ‘eldest brother’ Lee Sang-soo and ‘youngest’ Cho Dae-seong won the World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender European Summer Series in July last year after overcoming the Great Wall twice. In the semi-finals, they defeated the group of Ma Lung and Wang Chu-jin, and in the final, they defeated the group of Liang Jing-kun and Lin Gao-yuan. They also won 10 matches in the Korea Professional Table Tennis League (KTTL) this year.

In the men’s singles, Jang Woo-jin, the ‘signboard’, is at the forefront, and Lim Jong-hoon, who achieved the best result in the round of 16 in the last tournament, is also expected. Lim Jong-hun, who is good at backhand and has strong power, suffered a crushing defeat by 3-4 in the semifinal match against world number one Pan Zhendong in the WTT Champions Xinxiang men’s singles last month. Ahn Jae-hyun is also a dark horse. Ahn Jae-hyun won a surprise bronze medal at the 2019 Budapest Games in Hungary, setting the world record for the youngest men’s singles.

In the women’s event, ‘signboard’ Shin토토사이트 Yu-bin tries to rise above the ordeal of her last tournament. Yubin Shin qualified for her first world championships two years ago, but a stress fracture injury to her wrist forced her to retire during the competition. She has since gone through two surgeries, a lengthy rehab. Shin Yu-bin, who overcame her difficulties, won two gold medals in her first international competition last year, and took first place in her national selection in March, confirming her participation in the Asian Games.

In particular, it is her goal to cross the Great Wall of China. She has never met and won a victory against a Chinese player who is the strongest in the world of table tennis.

Among the women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles in which Shin Yu-bin participates, the mixed doubles with Lim Jong-hoon has the highest chance of winning. The two won a silver medal at the WTT Star Contender mixed doubles held in Bangkok, Thailand last month. In addition, Seo Hyo-won in the women’s singles quarterfinals at the last tournament, Lee Si-on and Choi Hyo-joo in the women’s doubles quarterfinals are also expected to perform.

With the 2024 ‘Korean Table Tennis 100th Anniversary’ and the Busan World Table Tennis Championships team match ahead, Korea is determined to lay the foundation for a successful next tournament in this tournament. Joo Se-hyeok and Oh Kwang-heon, head coaches of the men’s and women’s national teams, said, “As the host country of next year’s World Cup, we desperately need tangible achievements that can continue the atmosphere.”